Gordon Murray S1 Pairs a 12,100rpm V12 With a Proper Touring Brief

Gordon Murray Special Vehicles has used Monterey Car Week to show a different kind of modern supercar.

The new S1 still has the ingredients enthusiasts expect from the marque, including a naturally aspirated V12 and a manual gearbox, but its brief is less about single-minded intensity and more about crossing serious distance without dulling the experience.

That makes it an intriguing counterpoint to the increasingly digital, high-output end of the supercar market.

At a glance

A Cosworth V12 with a broader brief

The headline is the engine, as it should be in any Gordon Murray project with this level of intent.

The S1 is powered by a bespoke 4.2-litre naturally aspirated V12 from Cosworth, with output reaching up to 690 PS and a redline of 12,100 rpm.

Those numbers place it firmly in the high-drama corner of the supercar world, but the S1’s character isn’t meant to rely only on peak revs.

Gordon Murray says the V12 has been tuned to deliver substantially more accessible torque, a useful shift for a car intended to feel at home over longer journeys as well as memorable stretches of road.

Just as important, the engine is paired with a manual gearbox.

In a market where extreme performance is often filtered through paddles, drive modes and layers of software, that decision gives the S1 a clear mechanical identity.

A new body around S1 LM foundations

The S1 is developed from the S1 LM platform, but it isn’t simply a softened version with different trim.

While the two cars share design language and core DNA, there is little shared bodywork between them.

Every exterior panel has been redesigned for the S1, giving the car its own visual identity rather than casting it as a derivative model.

The new car also introduces active aerodynamics, a revised suspension set-up and a greater emphasis on refinement.

Those changes point to a more rounded kind of performance car, one that keeps the response and precision expected from Gordon Murray while acknowledging that comfort, composure and usability matter when the road trip lasts more than an hour.

Touring comfort without losing the analogue edge

The cabin follows the same philosophy.

Rather than presenting the S1 as a stripped-back machine, Gordon Murray Special Vehicles has put more emphasis on luxury and touring comfort.

That doesn’t turn it into a conventional grand tourer.

The appeal is in the tension between two ideas that rarely meet cleanly in current supercars: a screaming naturally aspirated V12 with a manual gearbox, and a chassis and cabin intended for real distance.

For collectors and drivers who still value physical engagement, the S1 sits in a particularly narrow lane.

It promises the involvement of an analogue supercar without making usability feel like an afterthought.

Details & Specifications

The S1 stands out because it doesn’t treat comfort and involvement as opposites.

With its high-revving Cosworth V12, manual transmission and more polished long-distance brief, it looks aimed at drivers who want the theatre of a modern supercar without giving up the pleasure of actually going somewhere in it.